A.
The identified floodplain area shall be any areas of the Borough
of New Salem classified as special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) in the
Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate
Maps (FIRMs) dated December 16, 2015, and issued by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), or the most recent revision thereof, including
all digital data developed as part of the Flood Insurance Study.
B.
The above-referenced FIS and FIRMs, and any subsequent revisions
and amendments, are hereby adopted by the Borough of New Salem and
declared to be a part of this chapter.
The identified floodplain area shall consist of the following
specific areas:
A.
The A Area/District shall be those areas identified as an A Zone
on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA and for which no
base flood elevations have been provided. For these areas, elevation
and floodway information from other federal, state, or other acceptable
sources shall be used when available. Where other acceptable information
is not available, the base flood elevation shall be determined by
using the elevation of a point on the boundary of the identified floodplain
area which is nearest the construction site. In lieu of the above,
the municipality may require the applicant to determine the elevation
with hydrologic and hydraulic engineering techniques. Hydrologic and
hydraulic analyses shall be undertaken only by professional engineers
or others of demonstrated qualifications, who shall certify that the
technical methods used correctly reflect currently accepted technical
concepts. Studies, analyses, computations, etc., shall be submitted
in sufficient detail to allow a thorough technical review by the municipality.
B.
The AO and AH Area/District shall be those areas identified as Zones
AO and AH on the FIRM and in the FIS. These areas are subject to inundation
by one-percent-annual-chance shallow flooding where average depths
are between one foot and three feet. In Zones AO and AH, drainage
paths shall be established to guide floodwaters around and away from
structures on slopes.
The identified floodplain area may be revised or modified by
the Borough Council where studies or information provided by a qualified
agency or person documents the need for such revision. However, prior
to any such change to the special flood hazard area, approval must
be obtained from FEMA. Additionally, as soon as practicable, but not
later than six months after the date such information becomes available,
a community shall notify FEMA of the changes to the special flood
hazard area by submitting technical or scientific data.
Should a dispute concerning any identified floodplain boundary
arise, an initial determination shall be made by the Floodplain Administrator,
and any party aggrieved by this decision or determination may appeal
to the Borough Council. The burden of proof shall be on the appellant.
Prior to development occurring in areas where annexation or
other corporate boundary changes are proposed or have occurred, the
community shall review flood hazard data affecting the lands subject
to boundary changes. The community shall adopt and enforce floodplain
regulations in areas subject to annexation or corporate boundary changes
which meet or exceed those in 44 CFR 60.3.
